Research blog

​This photograph was taken at the wedding of Dorothy Murphy and Reverend Ernest Sawyer; a missionary from the Gold Coast. The couple were married at Thornton Hall, Hull, on 8 October 1936. Their best man was Casely Manasseh Obuobisa Mate, who was a student at London University. Unfortunately, we do not know how long he remained in the region or if he came back to visit. This wonderful image was published in the Hull Daily Mail the day after the ceremony. Can you know anything more about the photograph? Please click here to contact us

This black and white image was published in the Hull Daily Mail’s 'Flashback' series on 24 April 2017. It shows Theo Brown-Dawson and Victor Jones from Sierra Leone placing African coins at the William Wilberforce Monument in May 1982.

If you have any further information about these men please click HERE to contact us.

In 1993 sculptor Samuel Samei Marco from Freetown, Sierra Leone carved this fantastic statue from English oak in Hull. It depicts an emancipated African slave making a pilgrimage to visit William Wilberforce. The wood carving was given to Wilberforce House as a gift from Marco and remains on display today.​Images below taken from the Hull Daily Mail flashback series and Wilberforce House. Click on each image to enlarge.